A Slytherin in the Ranks: New Beginnings
by the-wolf-fenrirhotmail.com
Summary: What if the Sorting Hat hadn't decided to put Harry in Gryffindor? What if thought he had more qualities of a Slytherin? What indeed... NOTE: AU fic


Chapter 1

The Different Path

A/N: Sorry that it's been so long since I made this. I got swept up into many things at the time and sort of forgot about this story. I discovered it again and thought it had potential so I'm going to start writing on it. I just made a few corrections to the first chapter and will be adding a second chapter as soon as I can. If I work hard enough, then maybe I can finish by the end of Sunday.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

This is an AU fic that takes off while Harry and Hagrid are shopping in Diagon Alley during PS/SS.

"Hogwarts dear?" Madame Malkin asked Harry.

"Yes," he answered her.

"Okay, I got the lot of them here. You just go to the back and grab a stool I'll be with you and a second." Harry did as she asked and went to the back of the shop, on the way looking at all the different robes there. He eyed them all with curiosity for the only robes he had ever seen had been bath robes. They were hung upon racks that seemed to stretch forever with the robes, which were stuck in at anyplace there was room, appearing to have no organization of any kind. He came upon the back of the shop, where footstools had been fixed in place in front of large mirrors. He took a stool next to a boy about his age.

"Hullo," the boy said to him a bored tone.

"Hel-" He was about to greet the boy when he suddenly felt something wrap around his thigh making him jump ten feet in the air. He fell off his stool and landed with an audible "thump" upon the ground.

The boys face, which had been filled with a nasty expression, changed. Apparently he wasn't thrilled by the shop with it's noisy and unorganized manner. Harry didn't much like the place either. He wasn't a neat freak but he did like things at least a little bit tidy. He looked up at the boy and saw his mouth spread into a large smile. The smile made him look much better. He supposed he looked okay before but his smile made him look more- Harry searched for the word and decided that it made him look more real, more down to Earth. "Scared the crap out of me too," he told Harry.

Harry grabbed the other boy's hand which he stuck out to help Harry up. "Thanks, for a second I thought a snake had grabbed me," then Harry added, "Though, I wouldn't be surprised if one _was _hiding in this mess." Harry said, looking around the shop.

"I know what you mean," the boy said, his tone of voice assuring Harry that this disdain had been for the shop like he had thought. The boy looked at Harry again and hit his forehead, "How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself," he said sticking out his hand to Harry. "Draco Malfoy," Harry shook his hand firmly and smiled at him.

"Harry-Harry Potter," he told Draco as he shook his hand.

"_Harry Potter_?" he said incredulously, "_The_ Harry Potter?" then his eyes flicked to the scar on Harry's forehead, which was no longer being covered by his hair.

"Er, yeah," Harry colored a bit, he was very uncomfortable with his new-found fame.

The boy seemed to collect himself and then said, "Oh, oh I-I think I may have heard of you before."

Harry smiled at that, even though it was the boy's pride talking it still made Harry feel better to be treated as a regular person, since he was a regular person. "You might have but it was for something I did a long time ago; don't even remember doing it for that matter."

"Oh yes, something-something to do with You-Know-Who or some rot like that? Yes, I seem to remember something about you." Draco said, falling back into his usual tone. "So, you are going to Hogwarts then?" Draco asked him, a curious expression on his face.

"Yes, I'm here getting fitted for my robes now."

"I don't suppose you know what house you are going to be in, do you?"

"Er, no," Harry said uneasily, he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Well I guess no one _knows _what house they are going to be in, but I'll bet I'm in Slytherin. What do you think?"

Harry decided to take the safe route and go with Draco, "Yeah, Slytherin would be a good house, though, I have no idea what house I am going to be in."

Draco's eyes got wide, "_You_ would be fine with being is Slytherin?" the boy said it like it was totally unbelievable. "I'm sorry it just seems that you being, well, _you _wouldn't exactly want to be in Slytherin_."_

"Yeah, I mean, I don't know many people and if we were in Slytherin together at least I'd have a friend. You'd be the only person I know there." Harry said, now regretting saying anything about the houses. He could tell that he must have said the wrong thing. Draco looked at him oddly for a second then gave him a bright smile.

"Yeah, the only people I'd know would be my father's friends' sons. They are all such boring people, and you wouldn't believe how dumb. These two boys, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, are very strong for their age but they couldn't spell "cat" between the two of them. Yes, school would be a lot more fun with a friend there."

Harry sighed inwardly with relief, he was afraid the boy was going to go on about the other houses and then find out he knew absolutely nothing about anything, as Hagrid had put it. "So then, friends?" Harry said.

Draco looked Harry from top to bottom, sizing him up for a second, then muttered something to himself in which Harry thought he caught the word "father." Then, he nodded his head and said, "Friends." As if making it official.

Just then Madame Malkin waddled over, giving them both a big, friendly smile, "You two are done now, you can pick up your robes at the front."

They walked together up to the front, chatting about how much fun school is going to be and what they are going to do first. They grabbed their boxes and paid the lady running the desk, then walked out of the store.

"Have you gotten your wand yet?" Draco asked Harry when they were outside.

"No, have you?"

"No, I was just about to, do you want to come along and get yours with me?"

"Well I suppose it is okay, I'll just have to go get Hagrid from the pub."

"Hagrid?"

"Yes, he went and picked me up from my aunt's and uncle's… er… house." He didn't really want to go into a long story about why he would be in a rickety shack on a small island so he decided that "house" would be better to say.

"Hagrid, I've heard that name before. Isn't he the groundskeeper at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, and the gamekeeper."

"I heard he was some kind of savage, and that he lived in the woods or something."

"Well I think he's brilliant," Harry said defensively, he didn't like people talking badly about the man who rescued him from his family.

Draco, seeing Harry was fierce on the subject, backed off a little, "Sorry, people are allowed to have their own opinions, I guess, even if they are a _little_ different." 

"Yeah, well he really is a great person," Harry told him.

"_Sure_," Draco said with a sneer. 

"I'll just go get him and meet you their then," he had felt himself getting a little mad at Draco but he didn't want to start having any trouble right off the bat.

"Sure, I'll see you there then." Harry waved goodbye and set off towards the Leaky Cauldron, but he hadn't gone to steps when he ran straight into Hagrid.

"Oh 'ello 'Arry!" He was a bit rosy-cheeked and his breath reeked of whiskey. "Ah was jus' comin' to get ya, did ya fin' yur' things okay?"

"Oh, er, yeah I did; have it right here," Harry said lifting up the box with his robes packed inside. "Hagrid? Do you think we could go get my wand next?"

"Well, Ah thought we 'er gonna get that a lil' later, so about getting' ya books nex'?" Hagrid said.

"Well, okay… it was just that I met someone in Madame Malkins and told him we would meet up with him at the wand store," Harry said.

"Well, if yur' meetin' someone ere' then I don't see why not."

So they set off down the road towards the shop. If Hagrid hadn't pointed out to Harry where it was he would have passed up the dismal place. The window was covered with a thick layer of dust and the bricks of the building were worn and brown. There was a single wand on an old purple velvet pillow in the window. The store was called "Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." and it did not seem like a place visited that much. Hagrid and Harry walked into the narrow store with barely enough room for Hagrid to fit in, for the rest of it was filled shelves upon shelves of boxes upon boxes of wands. There were thick short ones, long skinny ones, oak, ash, maple, willow, yew, and even a few that Harry saw in the corner that seemed to made of animal bones. He looked around the shop but didn't see Draco.

"So where is this friend yur' meetin'?" Hagrid asked, but no sooner had he spoke when Draco walked into shop followed by a skinny, pale woman of medium height.

"Hello," Draco said with a slim smile.

"Hello," Harry said back, he felt a little uncomfortable for Draco's mother seemed to just keep staring at him. Like if she stared long enough he would either burst into flames or turn invisible. Harry could feel his palms sweat under her gaze but after a few seconds she cast her eyes else where, looking at the various wands around the shop. Harry motioned Draco over.

"Hey Harry," Draco said, "I can't wait for my wand. I'm going to hex everyone who even looks at me funny!" Draco said with a gleam in his eye.

"I don't know about that but as soon as I get back my cousin is going to be on wrong side of this wand more than a few times." Harry said, feeling happier than he could ever remember being.

"Well I'm not sure if I should give you a wand if that is all you want with it," said a man, stepping out from behind a shelf towards Harry. Then, seeing the horrified look on Harry's face added, "Just kidding young masters. Ah, Mrs. Malfoy, how are you?"

"Fine," Draco's mother said with a forced smile.

"And how is your wand? A nine and a half inch yew with dragon heartstring it was." The man asked.

"I have kept it polished since the day I got it," she told him.

"Good, good," he said then turned towards Hagrid, "And how is…" He saw Harry and Draco and decided that whatever he was going to ask wasn't important anymore. "Never mind Hagrid, ah, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter I presume."

"Yes," Harry and Draco said.

"I was wondering when I would run into you two, well, since you are here, let's get started!" he said as he clasped his hands together and moved behind one of the shelves. While he was rummaging behind the shelves magic tape measurers were measuring Draco and Harry. He came back with a box and each hand.

"Enough," the tape measurers dropped to the floor, "For Mr. Potter." He handed Harry a twelve inch ash wand with unicorn hair. "And for Mr. Malfoy," He handed Draco a nine inch yew with dragon heartstring, but as soon as they had both touched their wands he snatched them away. "No, no, no, hmmm, maybe this," he pulled out two more wands, ash and phoenix feather and maple and dragon heartstring but he grabbed those away too. After about two hours and 150 wands later Mr. Ollivander said, "Tricky customers, but tricky customers always come out with a better wand in the end. This maybe?" he handed Harry a seven inch, willow wand with dragon heartstring and Draco an eleven inch, holly wand with phoenix feather. Harry swished his wand through the air but nothing happened, the same for Draco.

"Peculiar, most peculiar…" Mr. Ollivander said, stroking his chin, deep in thought. "But just not right, hmm, maybe… No, that won't work but…. No, not that either but maybe, just maybe… yes! Yes I think so!" he walked up to the boys and grabbed their wands, then he crossed his arms handed each the other wand. Suddenly Harry's arm filled with warmth and he swung his wand in a great arch causing golden sparks to shoot from the tip of his wand, singeing Hagrid's beard. Then he looked at his wand in awe, and then over at Draco. Draco was staring at his own wand and then at a spindly chair on fire in the center of the room.

Mr. Ollivander quickly put out the fire and turned to the two boys with a bright smile, "Well, I must say, this is most interesting. Never in all my years have two wands reacted at the same time, never. It has happened before to other's in my family but never to me. They say it is very good luck when two wands react together for the first time." Then Mr. Ollivander eyed Harry's wand, "And even stranger yet," he said, "Is the fact that the brother of that wand in your hand, Harry, is what put that scar on your forehead."

Immediately, Mrs. Malfoy looked up, "You mean that that brother of that wand belonged to the Dark Lord?" she said.

"Yes, that is what I am saying."

She looked at Harry very strangely then, as if she suddenly saw him in a new light. "Yes, that is indeed very interesting, what an odd coincidence." although her words were level and calm her tone was surprised. "_Quite _interesting."

"Is she always like this?" Harry whispered to Draco, looking at Mrs. Malfoy, who had a very queer expression on her face. Draco just shrugged his shoulders

"Ahem!" Mr. Ollivander loudly cleared his throat. "If you would be so kind as to come up to the counter here and pay for your wands we can get on our way. Harry and Draco paid Mr. Ollivander and left the store. Draco had already gotten everything else he needed so he and his mother left, telling Harry he'd see him on the train, and so it was just Hagrid and Harry left.

"Okay, all yur' need is yur' books now, so let's get on ter Flourish n' Blott's," Hagrid steered Harry past the other shops to the book store, where he told the man behind the counter what books he needed. The man came back a few minutes later with his books and Harry paid for them plus a few that caught his interest. He bought a huge volume called _The Complete Book of Curses and Hexes: Learn How to Perform Every Curse and Hex Created!_, he also bought _Advanced Potions: Everything from Arrhythmic Enhancers to Permanent Zebra Stripes!_, and one more book that seemed interesting to him was _The Dueler's Handbook: Effective Spells and Proper Form_. He came out the store with much heavier bags and a much lighter money pouch.

"Thanks so much, this has been the best birthday ever!" Harry said excitedly, he still couldn't get over everything, it was just like a dream come true.

"Oh! I almost fergot! I still need ter get ya yer present," Hagrid said and grabbed Harry by the shoulder, dragging him the opposite way of where they had been going.

"No, really Hagrid it's okay, you've given me more than enough already."

"Nonsense, I'm getting' ya something' an' that's that." Hagrid guided Harry past shop after shop, having to physically drag him away from Joker Da Hut's House of Fun. "Now, ya'll be wantin' a pet for Hogwarts, Ah'm sure. Now not a toad, no one get's them anymore an' ya'll be made fun of if you've got one. Not a cat, Ah'm allergic at them. How about an owl? They're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."

"An owl?" Harry said, sounded like a strange pet to have.

"Sure, we'll jest be goin' in here," he said as he directed Harry into a store called Eyelop's Owl Emporium. Harry was surprised by how much different this shop was than the others. He had expected the usual jumbled mess but instead he saw that everything was in order there. The owls were perched on their perches in rows next to one another. Harry walked over to an owl that caught his eye to right of him, he started to walk over to it when he suddenly felt something rush past the back of his head. He whirled around to see a gray blur go streaking around the room.

"What the hell?" Harry said to himself.

"Excuse me! Out of my way!" a short wizard came running after it; a broom in his hand. He was swatting wildly at the air. "God blast it! I knew I shouldn't have kept that darn thing!"

Harry watched the man as he ran around the room trying to get the runaway bird. It was really amazing how it flew as it dodged the shopkeeper's swings and maneuvered itself around with slamming into anything in the tightly packed place.

"Hey Eyelop, what is that?" Hagrid's voice boomed causing many of the owls to squawk in alarm.

"It's a Peregrine Falcon, fastest darn thing alive. For the life of me I don't know why I ever agreed to buy it." the wizard said, using his broom like a crutch and resting for a moment. "It is the craziest thing I've ever seen, it attacks the other birds if they come too close, it bites anyone who walks into the store, and it destroys anything that moves. I was going to try and put it in a cage so it wouldn't be able to get to do whatever it wanted but it just went berserk and started to fly about as fast as it could." Eyelop was breathing raggedly and he looked tired. "I swear, I'd pay someone to take it off my hands but no one will, I know, I've offered."

Just then the falcon came swooping back and the wizard only just ducked in time as it came swooping over his head. "Well I think it is time we put a stop to this," Hagrid said, gripping in umbrella tightly in his hand. He started swinging it in a circle, getting ready to hit to the bird if it came at him. The falcon saw what he was doing and gave him a wide berth. "Jeez, this thin' much more trouble than it's worth."

"I know," said the wizard, "And it's hopeless to try and hit it with a spell, he it's just too fast."

Harry just stood and watched it with fascination. It was wonderful to watch. It's moves were fluid and ever changing, as if it had some magical force field that let nothing touch it. And as Harry watched it came flying over to him and started to slow down. It flapped its wings in front of it to slow its landing and then, as gracefully as it could, landed on his shoulder.

"Well would you look at that," said the wizard in awe, "I never thought I'd see the day. Huh, seems she's taken a liking to you."

"No, I think she's just tired. Look at her, she's breathing rapidly," Harry told him.

"Say what you want but it looks like she likes you. Strange, she doesn't like anyone. What exactly did you do?" Eyelop asked.

"Animal magnetism?" Harry said, causing to shop keeper to give a chuckle and Hagrid to boom a laugh.

"Kid, I'll make you a deal, if you take that falcon I'll give it to you for free and I'll throw in all the stuff you need."

"Harry, ya don' really want that, do ya?" Hagrid said to him.

Harry looked at the falcon and nodded, "Yes, I want her."

"Well, since it's free then I still owe you a present… How about I get some hunting gear for ya?" Hagrid said picking up a leather glove and bird mask off of one of the shelves.

"Er, sure," said Harry, who had no desire to hunt but gave Hagrid a bright smile anyway. Hagrid went and paid for the mask and glove, throwing them into the bag with all his other stuff. As they walked out of Diagon Alley Harry couldn't remember a single moment when he had been this happy in all his life. After Harry got home the first thing he did was run to his room, cracked open his book of Advanced potions, and started to read. He read well into the night and into the early morning, passing into sleep around 4:00 AM without noticing.

When Harry woke up, his head hurt, his eyes burned, and he felt great. He lifted his head from the open book and looked down. He couldn't believe everything in the book. Potions was by far the best subject Harry was going to have, he could tell. The reason Harry liked it so much is that potions is a subject which requires no magical ability. All you need is good hand-eye coordination for chopping the right size pieces of an ingredient, and a good memory for knowing how to make it. For Harry still believed that it was impossible for him to be a wizard or a good one at that so he figured that he good at least get good marks in Potions.

"Harry! Come on boy! Get out of bed already!" Harry heard his aunt's shrill voice coming from downstairs. He winced as he remembered that he wasn't there yet, he still had a time ahead of him before he would be truly away from the Durselys. He pulled himself from the lasting clutches of sleep and put on an over-sized gray t-shirt with a pair of pants that needed two belts just to keep from dropping to his ankles. He passed by Dudley's room on the way down and smiled as he saw an eye peering at him with the door open a crack. He waved to Dudley who immediately slammed it shut.

"Boy!" his aunt yelled at him as he came through the kitchen door, "Grab that frying pan and make sure the eggs don't burn." Harry had half a mind to tell her no and curse her but he seemed to remember Hagrid saying something about not doing any magic.

"Yes mam," Harry said, sighing. He picked up a spatula from the utensil drawer and poked about in the eggs to make sure they didn't stay in one spot too long. As much as he hated his aunt he couldn't deny that she was a wonderful cook. Even with something so simple as eggs she could make a heavenly breakfast. Once the eggs had been sufficiently cooked he turned off the stove and brought the pan to the table, setting it down upon a pot holder to keep it from doing any damage to the wood surface of the table.

"Good, you didn't mess them up, " she said quickly, seeing the eggs upon the table. "Now go get Dudely and your uncle; tell them breakfast is ready."

Harry hurried up the stairs and gave a few loud knocks on Dudley's door, "Get out of bed," he yelled.

"Mmmhmmmabbbbmmm," was the reply.

"Fine but don't blame me when you miss breakfast," just then Dudely appeared at the door in a wrinkled pair of slept in pants and a T-Shirt that was supposed to be a night shirt but was a still a little bit tight on him. He went quickly down the stairs and towards the table. Harry continued to his Aunt and Uncle's room.

"Uncle Vernon, breakfast," Harry said through the door. He heard something about "rude boy, always interrupting me" or something like that but just ignored it. Harry went back to see Dudley picking large quantities of hot egg with the spatula and gulfing it down, wincing as it burned the inside of his mouth. His mother saw him doing this and smiled, "That's my Dudders, needs to beef up and put some meat on those bones."

Harry stifled a laugh but couldn't suppress a grin, which his aunt saw and frowned deeply at him. Harry coughed and quickly wiped the smile off of his face, "Pass the bacon please."

Aunt Petunia looked at him for a moment and then handed the plate of bacon to Dudley, "Mom, this isn't nearly enough! You didn't make enough!" He said, screwing his face up into a pout.

"Well then go ahead and have it all, we wouldn't want you to starve." she said. Dudley shoved all the bacon on his plate and handed the empty plate to Harry, who put it down.

Instead of asking to be passed the biscuits Harry just reached over and grabbed a few before Dudley tried to take all those too. Since all that had been made were biscuits, eggs, and bacon, and the eggs and bacon now resting in the black hole of Dudley's stomach, Harry ate his biscuits hungrily and left to grab a book from his room. He stuffed it under hit shirt and smuggled it into the back yard where he could read it. He knew he would get severely punished for having it in plain view of nosy neighbors if the Durselys caught him but Harry hated being cooped up in his room all the time.

He cracked open his Dueler's Handbook and began to read: 

__

Introduction: One of the oldest parts of wizard history is dueling. From the time before wands were invented when the less powerful and more bulky staff was being used it was one the most popular sports in the world. Although dueling is not only for sport, it has also been used to defeat many dark wizards of History. The most recent being Grindlewald who was defeated in a three day long duel between he and Albus Dumbledore. In the end Grindlewald fainted from exhaustion and Dumbledore was declared the victor, stunning him and sending him to Azkaban.

Yes, dueling is most important but what is even more important are the rules that must be followed. If the proper etiquette is not followed then disqualification will be immediate in any tournament. In the old days if a player did not followed the rules and was dubbed a "cheater" then he would be put on trial and was usually severely punished. It was considered the highest dishonor to be caught cheating in the sacred dueling ring. But with this book duelers should have no problem remembering and following the rules.

In this the reader will find the proper form, rules, spells, and maneuvers to be used most effectively in a duel. The form section will be slightly short and will mostly deal on the correct stances and bowing for before and after dueling procedure. The rules section will cover the 234 rules to be followed at all times. The spells section will cover the most highly used and effective spells to be use in dueling, and the maneuvers section will tell the reader famous moves created by duelers of the past to outwit an opponent and win the match.

Harry started reading until he was halfway through the spells chapter, he only stopped when he found that he had not enough natural light to read by. He went back to into the house with his book was again hidden in his shirt and went up to his room, where he read by an electric lamp until he had finished the entire book. Immediately he knew he wanted to be a champion dueler for a living. Of course, it probably wouldn't happen but as Ms. Figg always said, "A man's reach is a man's grasp if he wills it." Harry still didn't understand it but he was pretty sure that it applied to this somehow. He looked down at his watch to see 2:34 shining back at him. His eyes burned for sleep but his mind was running a mile a second. His head ached with new found knowledge and his heart beat with excitement as he realized that in the not-so-distant future he would be leaving for school and an entirely new life, without the Durselys, awaited him. He let himself drift into thoughts of what it would be like once he was finally there and with those thoughts he drifted into a happy slumber.

Before he knew it time had flown by and he was arriving at Hogwarts. He entered through two great, huge doors in the front of it and immediately felt the blood drain from him as he saw that everyone else was already there and they were all staring at him.

"What is _he _doing here?" someone said.

"I don't know but let's hope he doesn't think he'll be going here. I mean its not like anyone wants him." said yet another until the place was alive with whispers.

"Why won't he just go away, can't he tell that no ones wants him?"

"He probably doesn't have enough power to turn on a light bulb, why he was accepted here I'll never know."

"His letter must have been sent by accident."

Harry felt his heart drop as he realized that even in the wizarding world he was considered lower than low. Maybe his aunt and uncle were right, maybe he was nothing. If he just ran away and hid somewhere he doubted anyone would look for him. Harry suddenly saw all the people in front of him falling away, swirling into a black abyss. Now he was all alone, standing in a pitch black room. He suddenly a felt a blast of icy-cold air against him and realized he only had his shorts on. The temperature dropped to colder than he had ever felt in his life and he started feeling so tired. His eyelids felt like twenty pound weights that he had to strain every muscle to keep open. His limbs felt like jello and he feared his legs would give out on him soon. He knew he couldn't fight anymore and had to succumb to sleep, but just when his eyes were about to close he was startled awake by a loud screech.

Harry groaned and rolled over in bed, coming face to face with a very large, stern looking eagle owl. The owl, seeing he was awake, dropped it's letter on the edge of the bed and flew out of the window. Harry had left it open so that Ri, as he had decided to call his falcon, could fly freely out when she wanted. Though he only left it open at night because he was sure he neighbors wouldn't like a bird flying into his house during the day time. He let out a yawn and sat up, picking up the letter he had been sent. It was made of a thick yellow parchment with a letter "M" in script on the front. The handwriting on the inside was a neat print.

Dear Harry,

This is Draco from Diagon Alley, how is your summer fairing? Mine is turning out very well so far. My father promised to buy me the new Nimbus 2000 if I make reserve for the Quidditch team, which won't be hard considering 1st years are always cast as reserves. Besides, I am an excellent seeker and should have no problem. Too bad they don't allow 1st years to have their own brooms, I'll have to use school brooms for practice and matches if I ever get to play one. What position do you play? Maybe we could try out for the team together if you play. Which team do you root for? I'm a Puddlemere United fan but my father only likes the Falcons. School is going to be fun I think, better than last year anyway. I wrote to ask you if you wanted to come to the manor on the 31st, my mom said it was okay and we could take you to the station with us the next day. Write back with your answer as quickly as you can. -Draco

Harry couldn't help but feel happy. Only a few days into his new life and he already had a friend. He got dressed quickly and rushed down the stairs to find his aunt to ask her if he could. He found her in the kitchen making breakfast. "Aunt Petunia?" he said. She turned around and looked at him for a second before saying.

"What is it?"

"Could I go and stay at someone's house on the 31st? He'll take me to school with him so you won't have too." Harry rushed it out, knowing that it wouldn't help him to try and sneak it into the conversation somewhere; his aunt was too sharp for that. Aunt Petunia seemed to be weighing the decision, letting him go have fun but being rid of him a day early or making him miserable but keeping him here and having to give him a ride into London.

"I'm fine with it," she said after a minute of thought, "But I'll have to talk to your Uncle." She turned back to her breakfast. Harry knew that his aunt was the decision maker of the family most of the time so he knew he was going to be going. He rushed back upstairs and found Ri back on her perch. He woke her up and gave her a letter to send back to him. She took off out of the window and disappeared into the sky. Harry watched her until she was out of seeing distance and then fell back onto his bed with a happy sigh. He knew his life was only just beginning, and as the first chapter of his new life came to an end, so the second only just began to open itself.


End file.
